Cast-metal crossing



(No Model.)

- G. l?.y GRAHAM.

GAST METAL. GRUSSING.

Nrrno STATES trice.

CAST-METAL CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,961, dated October30, 1888.

Application filed May 15, ISES. 4Serial No. 273,935. (No model.)

To all whom, it) may concern.-

Be it known that l, GEORGE PENAL-iu GRA- HAM, of South Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new andusel'ul Improvements in CastMetal Crossings, and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to cast-metal railwaycrossings, or means employedat the intersection of railway-tracks for securing together thetrack-rails.

The invention consists in the novel details ol construction hereinshown, described, and more particularly pointed out :in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure l is aplan view of my novel railroad-crossi ng, illustrating the several railsin posit-ion. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, takenupon line 2 2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction shown by the arrows.

In said drawings, A is a liat plate or soleplate of cast metal,preferably steel,having the usual projections or arms, A', and adaptedto be placed under the meeting ends of four trackrails at the pointwhere the latterintersect each other. Said arms A A are shown in thedrawings as arranged at right angles with each other, but in cases wherethe rails cross obliquely the arms will of course be correspondingl yinclined. Cast integral with the arms A of said sole-plate and extendingupward to the full height of rails placed nponthe sole-plate arevertical iianges or (as they are sometimes called) wing-rails"7 B B.

C C are horizontal extensions or fillings cast integral with the flangesB B and having their lower surfaces separate from and above the adjacentupper surface of the sole-plate A, so as to leave grooves or openings c@,extending inwardly beneath said tillings,as clearly shown in thesectional view, Fig. 2.

D D are the adjacent ends of two rails arranged in alignment with eachother, and D2 Diare adjacent ends of two other rails arranged inalignment with each other at right angles to the rails D D. The ends ofsaid rails D D' D2 D: rest upon the arms A A of the sole-plate A, withthe ilanges of the rails within the grooves c c and the webs d d ol' therails in contact with the fillings C C. In the particular constructionillustrated the ends of the rails D andDare separated a sufficient spaceto give passage to the wheel-flanges, while the rail Dwhich is at rightangles with and adjacent to the rail D', abuts against the end of thelatter, the end of the rail D3 being separated from the adjacent sidemargin of the rail D in the manner illustrated.

The several langesBB, in connection with the rails arranged as abovedescribcd,form continuous horizontal grooves for the wheeltlanges, whichgrooves cross each other at the middle of the sole-plate in the mannershown in the drawings. The fillings C C ot' course form the bottoms ofsaid grooves, the fillings being made continuous or integral at theintersection ofthe said flanged groovesin amanner readily understood.

The outer surfaces of the several flanges B B are preferably verticaland flat-,except at their lower portions, at which points they areprovided with small iillets b b. The faces or margins C' of the fillingsC C which come in contact with the webs of the rails are rounded attheir upper and lower corners to closely fit against the said websbetween the tread and rlange of the rail in the manner clearly shown inFig. 2.

The rails are secured to the casting, made as above described,by meansof horizontal bolts E E, passing through the webs of the rails andthrough openings b in the said wing-rail B.

In operation the cast sole-plate A is lirst placed in position at arailroad-crossing and bolted or spiked securely to the ties, it being ofcourse understood that four of said plates are commonly used for onecrossing. The tread-rails D D' D2 D3 are then severally secured in placeand bolted to the Iianges B B, as above described. It will be observedthat the flange or wing-rail B acts asa guard for the anges of thewheels, but at the same time receives no bearing therefrom nor any jarsfrom the wheels, and their entire load is borne directly by the treadrails D and the flat horizontal portion of the sole plate A,which rests,as above mentioned, upon the ties or sleepers. It will thus be seen thatwhen the rails become worn, as they very quickly do at this particularplace upon a railroad-bed, they may be IOO easily removed by removingthe bolts E E and anew rail placed in position.

I am aware that steel or other cast metal has been used heretofore inthe construction of 1ailroad-crossings;.but I do not believe and do notknow thatacast-steel crossing with a guardrail and filling cast integraltherewith have ever been used forthis purpose. I have shown theextensions A of the soleplate A at right angles with each other; butitis obvious that these extensions may be placed at any angle to formswitches or Ys in aroadbed,as is well understood by all railroad men.

I claim as my invention-` l. The cast-metal railwayorossing consistingof a fiat sole-plate provided with four angularly-disposed verticalilanges or guard-rails casti ntegral therewith,sai d guard-rails havinglateral extensions or fillings extending partially over said soleplate,said fianges and extensions being provided with substantially horizontalbolt holes, substantially as described. ff

2. A east-metal railway-crossing consisting of a dat sole-plate providedwith four angularly-dispose'd. vertical flanges or guard rails castintegral therewith, said guard-rails having lateral extensions orfillings sufficiently below the top edge of the guard-rail to clear thewheel-Harige, and said fillings being cast oontinuous at the center ofthe crossing, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a castmetal railway-crossing consisting of atlat sole-plate and four angularly-disposed vertical flanges orguard-rails cast integral therewith, said guardrails being provided withlateral extensions, of tread-rails resting upon said sole-plate andbolted to the guard-rails, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE PENMAN GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

TAYLOR E. BROWN, E. B. ELLIAs.

